Fallentale
by ShadowDragon6114
Summary: Imagine a world where Sans has a whole family. A mother and a father to take care of him and his younger brother. Now, imagine that once he leaves his child years, everything spirals downhill. His parents are more strict, he's met with responsibilities, everyone hates him. Oh, the joys of being Sans. Then, he meets an unlikely friend. Who is it?
1. The Beginning

Coretale

Chapter One

"It's ok, Ariel! Just breathe! You've got this!" Gaster encouraged his wife, who was currently giving birth.

In response, Ariel cries out in pain and keeps pushing, nearly crushing the hand she's squeezing and making Gaster grit his teeth. She's sweating bullets and switching between throwing Dr. Alphys (a student of Gaster who's delivering the child) pained and exhausted glances, and squeezing her sockets shut.

"J-Just a little more, Mrs. Ariel!" cried Alphys. "One m-more!"

She's sweating, too, but more from nervousness. She holds the child securely as Ariel lets out a scream of agony, pushing one final time. She huffs a few nervous laughs and gazes down at him, smiling. "…It's… I-It's a boy…"

Ariel drops her head onto the pillow, panting and sweating up a storm. She gazes exhaustedly at Alphys and her new child, who's begun crying. She gives a pained smile. "L… Let me see…"

Alphys nods and moves over to the other side of the bed, holding the small skeleton out to her.

Ariel takes the child from her and smiles down at him, Gaster doing the same. "Look… Look at him, honey…"

"I see him," said Gaster, who's also smiling at him. He rubs his cheekbone, wiping away some tears. "He's beautiful."

Alphys smiles at the family and rubs Ariel's arm. "C-Congratulations." She then moves down to Ariel's pelvis, hovering a hand over it. After a second, a green aura envelopes her palm, licking at Ariel's pelvis and soothing the pain.

Ariel lets out a content sigh at the sensation, feeling relief almost instantly. She rubs his head and stares lovingly down at him, then glances at her husband. "What should we name him…?"

Gaster gives her a small smirk. "You went through the trouble. You should name him."

Ariel breathes a laugh and turns back to the child. "If you're sure…" She thinks for a bit, unsure of what name would best fit him. After a while, she finally settles on… "…Sans…"

The smirk on Gaster's face broadens back into a loving smile. "…That's a wonderful name, Ariel." He turns his gaze to the child. "Welcome to the family, Sans."

Sans opens his sockets a little to gaze at his new parents, his cries dying down to sniffles. His left eye glowed a bright blue, not having the energy to replace it with little white pips. He stares down at them for what seems like years, taking it all in as best as he can manage. He starts feeling around and weakly grasping anything his tiny hands can reach.

If only Sans knew what he was getting into…

Thirteen years later;

The last time Sans did work was ten years ago. Ever since then, he's had problems with responsibility. He doesn't like doing work and wasn't easily motivated to. He looks down at his hot dog and decides to finish it later, so he puts the plate in the fridge and makes to go upstairs to his room when Gaster steps in.

"I know, Dad," said Sans before Gaster could speak. "I'm a teenager now and I need to start doing my own chores. I told you, I'll work on it later."

"Sans, I know what you're doing. You're going to go up to your room and sleep for the rest of the day, then use eating and making Papyrus ask you to play with him as excuses not to do your chores. You've done it three times now."

"Would you rather I do that or try to do the work and get nothing done?"

"If you actually did try to do the work, you actually would get something done around here. Besides, I'm not here to try to get you to do them right now."

Sans blinks and stares for a second, taking that time to process what he just heard. "…You're not? Then what's up?"

Gaster hesitates. "…I think it's time I trained you to use magic. After that, you'll do your chores."

Sans smiles and widens his sockets in excitement. "Magic? You mean, I can finally fight like you and Mom?"

Gaster sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "Yes, but remember. This is a process that can't be accomplished in one night. It takes time to learn to control your magic. Not only that, but you have to put work into it."

Sans groans and almost turns around to go to his room again, but Gaster puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I don't want to hear it, Sans. If you want to be able to do magic like me and your mother, you have to put work forward. You may have been born with magic, but it won't work immediately until you train it to do so."

Sans hesitates and thinks for a bit, considering his options. Ever since he was eleven, he's met monsters whose parents hadn't waited to start training them to use magic. That, or some kids found out on their own. They'd brag about their powers and show off, especially around Sans. They knew he couldn't use magic and would often bully him because of it. The only thing Sans knows how to do is glow his eye at will, and that's only because he read one of Gaster's books without his permission a couple years ago and was grounded for it. He'd coupled that with some intel he'd gotten from Undyne, the daughter of the Head of the Royal Guard (Ariel had stepped down not long after giving birth to Papyrus, feeling she had too many responsibilities to take care of). Undyne bragged, but she at least had a sense of compassion that the other monsters didn't. He sighs. "Alright… I'll try…"

Gaster smirks. "Good. Follow me." He leads the way out to Snowdin woods. He doesn't go slow for Sans, but walks as if he's alone.

Sans is confused by this. Not only would Gaster usually wait for his son to keep up, but he would almost always teleport around places anyway. To see him walking his son to the woods was strange. Seeing as Sans never exercised a day in his life and didn't eat healthy foods when he could avoid it, he starts getting tired after a little over half the trip is walked. He's a good ten feet behind Gaster at this point.

"Dad…?" he pants. "Aren't you gonna teleport us to where we're going…?"

"You can't always expect the easy route," Gaster replied, not looking back. "You need to learn to use your legs some time."

"Does walking to my room not count…?"

"Unless you walk from a far distance or many times over again in a short time span, no, it doesn't count."

Sans groans and looks around, trying to quicken his pace to keep up with his father. "Could you at least wait up…?"

"No. We're not on a casual stroll through the forest. You can keep up."

"Dad!" he complained. After receiving no response, runs up behind him and catches up, losing even more breath and causing his heels to start aching.

Gaster leads him to a dummy he'd gotten from Waterfall. He stands to the side of it and faces Sans. "Alright, Sans. Do you know how to create an attack?"

Sans is left panting and sweating a bit when he arrives. "C… Can't we… take a five minute break…?"

Gaster sighs in annoyance. "Sans, we haven't even started yet. You don't need a break. Do you know how to summon an attack?"

Sans hesitates, then sighs. "No… None of the kids ever told me…"

"Alright, then. I want you to feel your soul's power. Feel the energy inside it, waiting to be shaped into a tool to defend you."

Sans looks down at his chest, where his soul rests underneath his ribcage. Compared to others, his soul is relatively small. Not by much, but enough to be noticed. As a result, when he feels the energy Gaster refers to, he doesn't feel much. "Um… O-Ok…"

"Do you have a feel for your soul's magic?"

"I think so…"

"Good. Now take some magic from it. Summon the power for your attack from your soul. Will it to travel to your hand."

Sans closes his sockets and tries to do as instructed. On the outside, he looks calm. On the inside, he's freaking out. How the heck does he expect him to do that? How do you pull magic from your soul? He stands there for a good five minutes before opening his sockets again. "I can't do it."

"Yes, you can."

"How?"

"There's no simpler way to explain it. You will it to go to your hand. It's as simple as that."

Sans still doesn't get how that's supposed to be simple, but he tries again anyway. After about thirty minutes of struggling, he sighs and drops onto his tailbone. "I can't do it…!"

Gaster shuts his sockets and sighs, then starts walking back to the house. "Come on."

Sans turns around and watches him walk away, then gets to his feet and follows him, looking down at his chest in failure. He doesn't even bother trying to catch up to Gaster, knowing full well he's disappointed.


	2. Work?

Fallentale: Chapter Two

Sans stands there, panting in front of the dummy. This is the fifth time Gaster's taken him out to train him, but no results have been seen. Sans just ends up getting more and more tired the more effort he puts into trying to get his magic to form into an attack, which adds to him already being exhausted from the long walk there. He's even tried thrusting his arms forward, hoping to get something to happen. The only thing he manages to do is lose more hope from his father, who watches him with disappointment each time.

Gaster shakes his head and sighs. "Enough," he says bitterly. "I've had enough of this." He leads the way back home.

Sans watches him go for a few seconds, disappointed in himself and nearly in tears. He follows him from a far distance, deciding to go have a nap when he gets home. He starts to go upstairs when he gets home.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sans flinches and tenses up when he hears his father's voice, then slowly turns to him, sweating more when he sees his scowl. "…I… I'm exhausted, da—"

"I don't care," he interrupted. "If you can't make progress in your lessons, you can at least get started on your chores. The dishes need to be cleaned."

Sans inwardly groans and thinks of the pile of dishes in the kitchen sink. They had purposely left them there so Sans could stop being lazy, only washing ones they needed to use at the immediate moment. He hesitates. "Can I—"

"Take a five minute nap? Why? So you can "lose track of time" and end up sleeping until tomorrow morning? No. You'll go in there NOW and get to work."

Sans hesitates again, flinching when he's interrupted. He sighs and trudges to the kitchen, then gives the pile a miserable look. He sighs again and starts emptying the sink so he can fill the sink with hot water. Gaster goes up to his and Ariel's room, plopping himself down on the bed with a sigh. "It's settled. Sans is too weak to use magic."

Ariel blinks at the statement, then sighs. "He failed again, huh?" she asks.

"Of course, he did," replied Gaster. "He's never been able to use magic. Some kids even learn on their own, but here he is, unable to do anything. He may as well be human, except for the lack of Determination. Hell, even Papyrus has shown some talent! And he's three years younger than Sans!"

Ariel sighs and rubs him hand. "I know, sweetie. But… not everyone can be Papyrus." She pauses. "What's he doing now?"

"Washing dishes, finally. And tomorrow, he's going to clean his room."

Ariel nods. "That's good. He's finally taking responsibility. …I've been thinking."

Gaster turns to her with a non-existent eyebrow raised. "Yeah?"

"I'm thinking… Sans should start doing work. Teach him a little responsibility. I talked with Diana and she says she needs someone to do sentry duty."

Gaster blinks and is about to say Sans is too young, but stops and thinks. No, he's not really. He won't have to fight any humans. He can simply look out for them and tell someone is one arrives. He smiles slightly. "Yeah… That's not a bad idea," he says.

Ariel smiles. "I'm glad you agree. When do you want him to start?"

Gaster thinks for a bit, considering his options. "…Tomorrow. He can clean his room when he gets home."

"Alright. Well, let's get some sleep. You've had a long day."

Gaster nods and lies down on the bed, getting comfy. He plants a lipless kiss on her teeth. "Good night."

"Night, honey," she replies, joining him in bed.

Sans is woken up early the next morning by a knock on his door. He groans and turns over, then sits up when he hears a second knock. He didn't get much sleep, having spent a lot of his night rubbing his feet, which hurt a lot after standing for so long in front of the sink. Not to mention, he didn't get to rest them after the long walk home. He wants to shout at whoever's at the door, but resists the urge to do so.

"Yeah…?" he finally replies.

"Get up and get dressed," Gaster says. "You start work today."

Sans furrows his nonbrows. "…You mean the dishes don't count…?"

"I mean, you have a job. Go to Diana's."

Sans widens his sockets and stares, then gets up and opens the door. "What do you mean, 'work'?" he says loudly. "I know for a fact YOU didn't start working until you were SIXTEEN!"

Gaster glowers at him. "DON'T talk back to me," he says sternly.

Sans sweats a bit and hesitates. "Sorry, dad…"

"It's just sentry duty. Even for you, it should be easy. All you have to do is watch for humans. That's it."

Sans widens his sockets further and stares. He imagines what could happen if he saw a human. With all the stories he's heard, why would he want to be anywhere NEAR a human? He gulps. "…A-And… If I s-see one…?"

"Diana will explain what to do. Get dressed, eat breakfast, and go. Don't take forever eating. If you're late or don't show up, you're grounded. Got it?"

Sans hesitates again, then sighs. "Got it…" He goes back to his room and starts getting dressed. He then digs through the fridge for something to eat, makes himself a sandwich, then leaves. His feet are aching again when he finally reaches the door to the giant fish house. He knocks as he finishes the last bite of his sandwich.

The door is answered by Undyne, who raises a brow when she sees Sans. "What are you doing here, punk?"

"Dad said your mom gave me a job…" he says miserably. "Sentry duty…"

Undyne's blank look turns into a grin. "Well, about time you started pulling your weight," she said with almost a laugh. She turns back inside. "Mom! Sans is here!"

A muscular fish lady comes down the stairs, dressed in a workout top and shorts. Her red hair is in a bun and her left cheek has a scar on it. She comes down smirking, then gently nudges Undyne away. "Glad to see Ariel took my offer," she said in a husky voice. "Did they tell you what you were doing?"

"Sentry duty… That's about it…"

"Good. That means I don't have to explain as much." She puts on a coat and jeans, then returns. "Follow me." She leaves the house and leads the way back to Snowdin Woods.

Sans glares at the house as they pass. I'm working in the woods? Why didn't dad just tell me to go there? Why make me walk all the way up to Undyne's if I'm going all the way back here?

Diana leads the way to a spot close to the edge of the woods, near the entrance to the Ruins. Right in front of a few trees, just off to the side of the path, is a small formation of wood that looks like a hotdog stand. It's not the fanciest hotdog stand in the world, but it's stable. On the other side is a small bench. "Hopefully, you're at least capable of doing something as simple as this. You sit in that sentry station and make sure no humans pass. If a human shows up, tell someone since you're incapable of fighting a dummy."

Sans sighs upon being reminded, then looks around. That's it? I just sit here and watch? …That doesn't sound too bad… Heck, no humans have shown up in years. No one's gonna show up anytime soon. I can just sleep the whole time. "What's the pay?" he asks.

Diana blinks and gives him an amused grin. "Pay?" she says before chuckling. "What are you talking about? This isn't a career for you! This is to teach you responsibility! If you go a month without screwing this up, I'll consider starting to pay you."

Sans stares with a look in his sockets that says he's trying not to get pissed. That's fine… After a month, I might get paid. Until then, I have an excuse to sleep. And we're far away from the town, so no one can bug me.

Unfortunately, for Sans, Diana has thought about this. "Don't even think about it."

Sans blinks and furrows his nonbrows. "Think about what…?"

"Sleeping. This isn't nap time, punk. You do that on your own time. While here, you'll keep a sharp, vigilant eye out for any humans. And if I find out you've been sleeping, you'll hear it from your father. Got it?"

Sans stares in misery at her, now unable to find anything to lighten his mood. After a bit of trying, he sighs and looks away. "Got it…"

Diana smirks. "Good. Now get to work."

"Wait!" he says suddenly. "…What about food?"

Diana raises a brow at him. "What about food?"

"Is eating allowed? I mean, it's not like the sound of chewing is gonna distract me from humans' footsteps, especially seeing as the path is right in front of me."

She hesitates. "No. I know how you are with eating. After every meal but breakfast, you take a nap. Eating must make you tired or something. I'll allow SMALL snacks here, but nothing more. And only once every couple of hours."

Sans inwardly groans, then sighs. "Fine…" He goes to his spot and sits down. Eh… At least it's somewhat comfy.

"I'll be back when your shift is done. Try not to die." She leaves.

Sans scowls at her as she leaves, annoyed by what she said. He sighs and looks around, now hearing nothing but his tapping on the counter top of the stand. He quickly gets bored and rests his skull on the table, cradling it in his arms. I mean… it could be worse. You could be making food. Or work with Gaster as a Royal Junior Scientist. Yeah, like that'll ever happen. As he rations his position in his head, he slowly shuts his sockets and drifts off, starting to snore.


End file.
